For Men Who Love to Sew

Sewing is one of those rare fields where women dominate the scene –but there are surely a few men out there who would love to learn to sew at home. So why don’t we see more guys famously sewing when we have many male fashion designers who have made names for themselves and nearly almost all tailors are men?

The main reason is perhaps the widely held, but fixed and oversimplified, idea that sewing is a task fit only for women. Alas, sewing was on the standard curriculum for girls in high school while the boys were usually taught some kind of industrial arts like carpentry or car repair, weren’t they? As a result, sewing became something that a woman was expected to know, which she can use as her contribution to her future family. This was especially true during the time when not so many women worked outside the home. As a result, sewing was never considered a masculine job or hobby, so much so that men who pick up a needle or work with a sewing machine might even put themselves at the risk of being teased or made fun of.

Today, nearly all books and magazines about sewing are geared almost exclusively to the female audience. These reading materials mostly contain illustrations of the female form and the garments being written about are usually the female wardrobe. Alas, you will be lucky to find a chapter or topic focussed on sewing for men and boys. Also, marketing for the home sewing industry has almost always exclusively aimed at the female population and this includes advertising for sewing machines, pattern, fabrics, and other promotional ads for sewing materials.

Against all these odds, there are men who love to sew and their message to other men who wants to give it a try is to go ahead, pick up a vintage mechanical sewing machine and give it a whirl, so to speak. Although it is often not encouraged by our culture, we're fortunate now that a man who wants to sew can now much more easily find a community who shares his interest on the internet. Indeed, there are a number of male bloggers talking about home sewing and some of them are getting quite popular.

I think that any man who wants to learn sewing should forget about the stereotype and pursue his interest. Men can take advantage of the information available online and they can even get an online sewing buddy if they like. The truth of the matter is the mechanics of sewing is not so much different from carpentry because sewing is also about measuring, cutting, and construction. In short, sewing is also for you guys to enjoy and should I say: Welcome to the club!

In the world of the internet and blogs, the online system seems to know an awful lot about you. One of the good aspects of that, however, is we can know a lot about our audience and what interests them. It might surprise you to know that around 6-8% of So Sew Easy readers are men. That may not sound like a lot, but considering that So Sew Easy serves around 500,000 users per month, that means that we probably have around 40,000 male readers around the world!

Are you one of our male readers or do you know a man who sews? Please share this article with him and let us know your comments below.

Sewing ideas for men

For a few good sewing ideas for men who love to sew, please check out the sewing for men roundup we did a year or so ago at: Sewing for men

67 Responses to For Men Who Love to Sew

I am a construction worker of 35 years and I agree that many of the skills for construction apply equally to sewing. My mother had always sewn and taught me some of the skills when I was a child. I have always sewn repairs to my work clothing, my families clothing as well as some of my tool bags throughout my lifetime. I believe that all who subscribe to the ‘Frontier Spirt’ of ‘I’ve got this’ can benefit from knowing how to sew. I am under the conviction that all homes would benefit from have a sewing machine of some type.

My mom was an avid seamstress and still is, my father even knew how to use a sewing machine of which he used often to alter his military uniforms etc. I was taught basics by my folks and in my adult life I have made a few things, mostly girls clothing, swim suits etc and have taught both my kids, I feel there should be no line between these skills with boys and girls as the intent is to teach basic self reliance. It’s an interesting process when you sit and begin to think about the order of operations, not mention how lost you can get in the process.

I have 2 girls and 2 boys. I practically forced my girls to learn the basics in their early teens. They still don’t care too much for sewing, but at least they know how. My oldest son, however, loves to sew. He has made quilts and dresses for his sisters. He now sews for a living. He is truly amazing! He can hand embroider better than anyone. I’ve tried to teach my son’s and daughter’s a variety of things. I’ve tried not to have separate girl and boy “things “. They are all well rounded adults.
I teach sewing in my home. I have taught about 4-5 boys how to sew. They are so much fun to teach! Yes, I’ve had them learn right along with the girls.

My son who is now 13, asked me to teach him how to sew two years ago . He was simply watching me sew various gifts for everyone, and that peaked his interest. I gave him basic instructions, then let him figure it out, always close by to trouble shoot. Since then he has made several projects and next, he plans to make a sweater for his friend, as an end-of the year present. He loves coming up with new ideas and it’s great to watch him go.

Both my children had the opportunity to learn to sew in school. My son took advantage of it, my daughter did not. My son is still interested and sews covers and things for his woodworking and metal working shop and my daughter hand sews lots of household items (blankets, curtains, purses, etc.) I’ve sewn for over 55 years. It is very calming for me to sew.

That is so cool! I would love to hear which kind of sewing projects are most popular with boys. Most patterns and books are geared towards girls, so I am running out of ideas. Any input you can share would be appreciated.

Great post. I am a male sewer and sew every day. I even blog about it and get around 30k visits a month so must be doing something right! Learnt the skills from my Gran some 40 yrs ago and just keep sewing. Moved into more tailoring in the last few years and was a contestant on the Great British Sewing Bee in the UK.

Search this site

Welcome to So Sew Easy

We are delighted that you found your way to So Sew Easy! We are here to inspire you, guide you and also learn with you. Please support this site by buying your Craftsy classes and products through THIS LINK.

Huge fabric shops directory

If you see a pattern or project on this site you like and want to share with your readers, that's great! But please do not reproduce or copy this content on your own site. You may use one or two photos and please link back to the original post on So Sew Easy. Thank you.